"We have seen an instance of port blocking that was of grave
concern to us," Vonage spokeswoman Brooke Schulz told Reuters. "We
have sought the FCC's council to remedy the situation."
Voice over Internet Protocol, also known as VoIP or IP
telephony, is basically the transport of telephone calls over an
internet connection. Until recently, it was a niche phenomenon, but
VoIP now has hit the mainstream consumer and business markets,
offering cheaper calls and disrupting the dominance of the
traditional communications companies.
While VoIP software allows a broadband internet connection to
double as a telephone service, ISPs can, if they wish, control the
use of that connection by blocking certain network ports. This
technique is often used to try to combat unsolicited commercial
e-mail, but it can also be used to block the digital data that
makes up an on-line telephone conversation.
According to reports, Vonage began an investigation after
consumers complained that they could no longer make VoIP calls. The
company found that certain ports had been blocked, but managed to
reroute its customers' calls temporarily.
Vonage has spoken informally to the Federal Communications
Commission, but has not filed a formal complaint.
"We're very actively on this case and we are taking it pretty
seriously," FCC chairman Michael Powell told tech news site
Advanced IP Pipeline.
